Vanderbilt players were reminded about behavior, ex-Commodores say

Past players point to speakers, topics

Aug. 9, 2013

Written by

Jeff Lockridge

Two recent Vanderbilt football graduates said coach James Franklin had several team meetings per year about players' behavior off the field and also brought in speakers to address the subject.

"It was something that was obviously discussed," said former defensive tackle Rob Lohr.

Four Vanderbilt football players were dismissed from the team and banned from campus on Saturday amid a Metro Police sex crimes investigation. None of the players' names have been released, and no arrests were made Sunday.

Nearly all of the football team, including incoming freshmen, is on campus during the summer taking classes and going through workouts led by strength coaches.

Lohr and Zac Stacy, who are now preparing to be rookies in NFL camps, said Franklin had speakers on campus to address the team about the potential pitfalls of life away from the field. Speakers were most prevalent during August camp.

"We didn't have classes about it, but especially during preseason camp there were always a couple of guys that would come in and speak to us, talk about different situations and the do's and don'ts," said Stacy, the school's all-time leading rusher. "It's just a matter of guys getting that information and applying it to everyday life. Outside football, there are a lot of things going on in this world."

They said some of the topics included underage drinking, drinking and driving, managing money and sex.

Lohr said the team had "probably between three and five meetings" on those matters every year since Franklin was hired after the 2010 season. He added that the university held occasional seminars about athletes making good choices.

"This isn't a situation that reflects well on the university, but I don't think it was for a lack of conveying Coach Franklin's point," Lohr said.

"Treating women with respect, alcohol and women, and avoiding putting yourself in jeopardizing situations were all discussed regularly. Franklin would show us examples on a daily and weekly basis of student-athletes at universities who were getting into all kinds of trouble. ... Whatever is going on is a result of poor decisions made by the individual."

(Page 2 of 2)

Franklin has not returned calls seeking comment. Athletics director David Williams declined to comment.

It's unknown what the impact might be on Vanderbilt's recruiting. The Commodores have nine commitments so far in the class of 2014.

"I'm more surprised some of (Vanderbilt's) players could make a bad choice. All of the players are usually outstanding, great fun to be around and outgoing. But if you slip up, it doesn't matter what it is, there are consequences for it. It's a good lesson for little kids and guys coming into college."

Vanderbilt has some options, depending on how many of the four dismissed players were on scholarship.

Franklin could award a scholarship now to a grayshirt — a player who graduated from high school but was not promised a scholarship until next January.

Franklin also could put walk-on players on scholarship in their place. Transfers would be an option, but anyone who played at a Football Bowl Subdivision program in 2012 would have to sit out this season.

Vanderbilt had the fewest known arrests among SEC football players in the past three years, according to a list published in May by Nola.com and the Times-Picayune. The one player was Andre Simmons, who was charged with aggravated burglary and aggravated robbery in November 2011.

Missouri topped the list with 18, followed by Florida (17) and Georgia (15). Tennessee had five.

Vanderbilt sophomore student Alex Bireman said Sunday the incident is being discussed on campus.

"People have been talking about it and some are upset about it and surprised," she said. "I don't think anyone is being more cautious on campus because of it."